My family is really into watching a YouTube channel where this guy talks about different buildings, shopping malls, amusement parks, even a whole island at Disney World, that have been abandoned.

A lot of the footage he uses has been collected by urban explorers — people who go inside man-made structures that have been abandoned. A lot of times, their explorations are not quite legal, but the footage they collect is fascinating. There's something a little creepy, a little forbidden, a little haunted, and totally compelling about seeing the remains of what used to be there.

Here was a legal, safe and educational way to explore abandoned buildings.

Plus, I'm always looking for ways to get my kids as interested as I am in hikes. They're so not into walking purely for the sake of walking. But, if there's something to hold their interest — the promise of rides at Disney World, cool views from above in downtown skywalks, or abandoned buildings to walk through — I can totally trick them into coming along with me.

According to the Wisconsin DNR, the Paradise Springs property was owned by local multimillionaire, Louis J. Petit, who built a horse track, spring house and wading pool. Pettit's grandson, August J. Pabst, inherited the land after Pettit's death and sold it to a man who built a resort hotel, and even before any of these buildings were constructed, people drank the spring water, and built a bottling plant.

Walking through an abandoned world

The cool thing about this trail was that it got more interesting the further we went. My kids weren't too interested in the trout fishery, and they bypassed the concrete slab that used to be tennis and shuffleboard courts. (Both kids were more interested in the modern bathroom building — my Harry Potter-obsessed kid because she thought it looked like Hagrid's hut and my other daughter for more practical reasons.)

By the time we got to the old, abandoned spring house, the kids were hooked. I thought we'd just be able to look at the building from the trail, but we were all thrilled that the trail went right through the house, giving us the chance to explore the abandoned building. We looked at photos on the wall of what the building used to look like back when Petit built it, and the kids and my dad both wondered what happened to the wooden-and-copper dome roof.

The Paradise Springs trail goes right through the old spring house, giving hikers the chance to explore the abandoned building.(Photo: Amy Schwabe)

Walking the plank

After we walked through the spring house, the trail continued onto another portion that was clearly enticing for my kids. In order to get across the water to the other side of the trail, we needed to walk on a wooden board across the dam. My kids couldn't believe their luck as they asked me if I was really going to allow them to do this.

The Paradise Springs trail continued across the dam at the site of the old turbine house. The kids were thrilled that they got to walk across a board to get to the other side of the trail.(Photo: Amy Schwabe)

And I got some cool mom points because I may not be willing to let them be true urban explorers and go through condemned, abandoned buildings, but I told them that it was totally fine to walk the plank.

It turned out that the dam we walked across was the site of an old water-driven turbine. The dam is still there, plus you can still see the foundation of the turbine house. When the kids asked what the turbine was for, my parents and I got the chance to force some education upon them by explaining that the turbine provided electricity for the buildings on the property. We could see the lesson hit home as the girls understood what it really means to "rough it."

Walking around the wading pool

The kids were glad that Petit's grandkids had a nice wading pool to swim in, but weren't convinced to swim in it as it is now.(Photo: Amy Schwabe)

We then arrived at what was probably the funniest part of our hike — especially for Wendy, who has been asking me to go swimming since, oh, roughly April. Just past the site of the old turbine was a wading pool that Pettit built for his grandkids.

And, as my kids looked in horror at the algae-covered overgrown pond, they said they'd never go swimming in there. My mom laughed that this area was known for the clear water in the springs, and I showed them pictures of what the pool looked like back when Pettit's grandkids were little. Wendy was relieved that the kids had a nice pool to swim in — and immediately jealous that we don't have a pool.

Walking back to the car

As we walked back to the car, the kids happily talked about their favorite parts. Wendy was enamored with the history of the place, imagining what it would have been like to dive into the wading pool when it was first built and fascinated with the fact that the "old-timey" people used the spring water for health reasons.

Alex agreed that the history was cool, but she was more interested in what the buildings look like now. "It's weird how the forest is taking everything over again," she said.

As the girls skipped ahead, chatting with my parents, and I lagged behind frantically taking notes so I wouldn't forget anything, I glanced at my daughters and realized that they weren't complaining, even though we were all hot, sweaty and full of mosquito bites. Was the allure of exploring an abandoned world enough to make my kids excited about going hiking?

I had my answer when Wendy ran back to me, put her hand in mine and asked, "What's the next hike?"